Equestrian Wars 1: Threats and Promises
by Doverstar
Summary: Twilight Sparkle has been an Alicorn Princess for a few months and just can't seem to get the hang of it. Earning a practice apprentice just seems to make things harder! But when a threat is made against Equestria, she reunites with her friends and the Elements of Harmony, along with her new student Rune, to save the day-as the land goes to war for the first time in years!
1. Prologue

**(Author's Note: A very short prologue, but a long first chapter awaits you to make up for it! {Side Note: Abadas are actually legends created by Africans.} ~Doverstar)**

* * *

Deep beneath the earth, just below the furthest hills outside Canterlot, an evil was lurking in the secret tunnels underground.

I imagine you've seen a unicorn. Good. This creature was sort of like a unicorn, but not completely. Instead of one horn, she had two crooked ones. Twice the magical abilities. Instead of a glossy coat of horsehair, she had tiny silver scales. Instead of large, lovely doe eyes, she had two snake-like red slits for pupils. She had a boar's tail and a jaggedly-cut blue mane. Her teeth were fangs and her hooves were sharp and small.

This was an Abada.

Her name was Cretana-or as she liked to say, Queen Cretana. She plotted underneath that ridiculous Celestia's very hooves to take back the Elements of Harmony which so rightfully belonged to her. Once that had been accomplished, all of Equestria would bow before her.

And with a massive, bitter, dark-hearted army of ponies, dragons, and stallions she'd exploited into joining her side, it would be as easy as swiping hay from a filly.

So Celestia and Luna had acquired physical manefestations of the Elements, had they? This did not discourage Cretana. The creature was determined to break those six pathetic mares without mercy. What should Celestia think of her then?

Indeed, mused the Abada, how hard could it be? By this time, after so long, she had finally prepared for everything.


	2. Chapter 1: The Princess' Apprentice

**(Author's Note: Some people don't like OCs very much in fanfics because they wanna see the characters, right? Well, don't worry, my character happens to be Twilight's new "apprentice" in this fic, and the spotlight will be focused extremely on the Mane Six and the other canon characters of the show, not on my OC. A little background on the OC: If he had to have a voice actor, it would be Colin Morgan in a British accent, and my OC is basically the pony version of the character Merlin from the BBC show of the same name. Same voice, same personality, shamelessly Merlin as a stallion. ^^ Anyway, there you go. Also, sometimes if you see this sign: - It means one of these: — but the site wouldn't let me paste those in for all of those. So just pretend that's what -s are. 'Kay, enjoy! Please review, I'm new to the fandom. ~Doverstar**

**P.S., this fanfic is dedicated to my best friend online, Sunshinelolipop, who encouraged me to get into My Little Pony in the first place! Quite the gem, as Rarity would say. Thanks, Sunny!)**

* * *

"Keep 'em tight for the dive, Twilight!"

"I—I'm trying, Rainbow Dash! But it's—woah—it's not easy!"

"Stretch 'em out a little more; that's it! You're doing it, Twi, see? You're gliding! Okay, now loosen up!"

Newly-made Alicorn Princess Twilight Sparkle relaxed her wings and felt herself drifting to the ground beside Rainbow Dash, one of her best friends, the fastest Pegasus in all of Equestria. Her tomboy companion had dropped by the Canterlot Castle that morning offering tutoring in flying practice.

"Aah!"

"Watch it, look out for that—"

Crash!

"Ouch!"

"—tree." Rainbow zipped to Twilight's side. "You okay?"

The early Princess shook the twigs out of her mane and sighed. "I'm afraid I'm still working on landing without..." She rubbed her head with a hoof, "...bumping into anything."

They had been practicing above the Gardens, and Twilight had smacked right into the biggest oak tree. Go figure.

"Nah, you're doing great!" Rainbow grinned, flapping her own blue wings. "Your wings are only, what—like a month old? That was pretty good for a beginner."

Twilight hung her head, crown slipping down a few inches crookedly. "You don't have to sugarcoat it, Rainbow Dash. I'm the worst flier in Canterlot."

Rainbow folded her wings and walked back toward the castle alongside the Alicorn. "Well, probably. But with a little more training—"

"Thanks, but I'm gonna call it a day," Twilight interrupted briskly, forcing a smile. "I still have Court Etiquette to study, remember?"

"Is that 'cuz you spilled punch all over Cadence's dress last week?"

"Yep."

"And 'cuz you stepped on Fancy Pants' hooves at that dance Thursday?"

"Yep."

"And what about the time you practically sat on Princess Luna?" Rainbow snickered into a hoof.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Yes, Rainbow, yes! That's why. ...Ohh, I'm such a klutz aren't I?" wailed the purple pony. She blinked worriedly at her friend. "Do you think I'm cut out to be a Princess? Be honest. I mean, maybe Princess Celestia made a mistake."

"Woah, woah, woah," Rainbow Dash screeched to a halt. "Chill, Twilight! You're new, right? So you still got a lot to learn. No biggie. You're gonna be an awesome Princess!"

Twilight went nose-to-nose with the Pegasus in full-on Panic Mode. "But what if I can't learn it all? What if I'm physically incapable of acting like royalty? What if all of Equestria goes to pot because_ I can't dance_?!"

"Uh..." Rainbow Dash blinked twice, then took a step back to give her bestie some air. "You know what Apple Jack would say?"

Twilight gave her a tired grin and they both mimicked the Southern Bell's accent:

"Stop sweatin' small stuff, sugarcube."

Twilight took a deep breath to calm herself down. Then she continued walking, her voice full of longing as she inquired, "How are the girls, anyway?"

"Same-old same-old. Pinkie's driving everypony nuts, AJ's started cider-selling up again, Rarity just finished a whole new line of those glittery kinda dresses-oh, and Fluttershy rescued a new squirrel last week. Named it Peaches."

"Peaches? A squirrel named Peaches."

"Yeah, I know, right? La-ame!"

Twilight heaved yet another sigh. She missed her Ponyville friends like crazy, making it difficult as she stayed in Canterlot for the last month and a half, learning how to act like a Princess. Celestia, of course, had promised her she could return to Ponyville just as soon as she had finished her lessons, but they were taking longer than they had expected. Her friends visited, to be sure, but it wasn't as often as it had been when they all lived in the same town. She missed the little things in that simple life. Things like the afternoon sunlight coming through the cracks in Apple Jack's barn roof; the bottle of hot sauce that always decorated a table at one of Pinkie Pie's crazy parties; the "just a touch" of glitter that seemed to powder off of Rarity's coat like pixie dust when she trotted up to Twilight's door; the faint smell of homely bunny fur and chicken's corn always telling you Fluttershy was nearby; the rasp in Rainbow Dash's voice thickening when she had to wake up early...she even missed Spike's unbearable snoring!

Perhaps that was why she was always so flustered, Twilight conceded as she entered the castle library, the one place she could think clearly. Spike was no longer on her heels, forked tongue flicking out in delight when she praised him for a task well completed. He wasn't there to take and send notes to her loved ones, to remind her to relax and tell her what she was doing wrong, to insist she knew how to handle a situation, to call her "the best" and cheer her on until she had succeeded. Besides her BBBFF Shining Armor (Big Brother Best Friend Forever, obviously), Spike was the one friend she'd had the longest. She hadn't realized how much she needed him until he wasn't available anymore. He was the one who visited most frequently, of course. They were like family. But no matter how many times the baby dragon slept over or came by just to say hi, it still wasn't the same.

And on top of all this, she was the most ungraceful and undignified Princess ever to gain her wings.

Which was why finding _A Royal's Guide to Court Behavior_ was so important just now.

Because she had once lived in Canterlot (before discovering the delight of friendship in Ponyville), Twilight Sparkle had thought she knew the royal library like the back of her hoof, but finding this particular book was proving her wrong.

The purple Alicorn galloped from isle to isle, flew to the second floor and scanned nearly every shelf frantically.

"Where is it, where is it?"

She landed and checked another shelf lower down.

"No, no, no no no!"

She felt pressed for time because, as Celestia had been teaching her, a Princess' day is always full.

Finally she spied the Blue Blood section. Rearing, she trotted toward the shelf.

"These aren't in alphabetical order at all," moaned Twilight. "Gonna have to set it right."

It took her an extra five minutes, but with her keen eyes and strong magic, she had the entire Blue Blood section re-organized in stacks on the floor.

"Now to put them back in the proper order," breathed Twilight.

She summoned her concentration and began levitating the books, still managing to keep them in the correct places.

Just as she was about to put them all back, one eye on_ A Royal's Guide to Court Behavior_ to bring back down, there was a flash of golden light just behind her, and a whole shelf came crashing down. Immediately this broke the Alicorn's concentration, making her drop the perfectly-sorted books and mixing them with the pile that fell on top of the poor mare.

Stress pulsing through her body, Twilight's head popped out of the book mound and she shook her head wildly to clear it.

"What in Equestria was that?" she coughed. Hey, those books were dusty.

"Whoops..." a deep, young British voice sounded somewhere behind her. "Sorry—here, let me help."

The books were encased in golden light and lifted away from her. Twilight stood and staggered out from under them.

She turned and saw a stormy blue stallion about her age with brown eyes, a short, cropped black mane and tail, and a pale red scarf around his neck. His Cutie Mark was a golden star the same color as his magic vibe. He was a unicorn; his horn glowed and he dropped the books when she was clear of them.

He clip-clipped over to her with remorse written all over his long muzzle. "Sorry," he repeated. "I didn't mean to bury you. I was trying out a transportation spell, and it...well, I haven't quite mastered my landings."

"I know how you feel," Twilight chortled kindly, smiling. "It's—" she stiffened, gasping, and realized in a flash that all her hard work had been ruined. She hurried over to the pile. "Oh no!" She huffed again, furious. "It took me forever to find that book—now they're all mixed up again—and it's missing!"

The stallion blinked, confused, and came over to join her. "D'you need any help looking? What was it called?"

Twilight gritted her teeth. "No, you've done quite enough, thank you!"

He snorted, miffed. "I did say I was sorry," he pointed out.

"Well, sorry won't get these books back to normal, will it?"

"I can put them all back if you like-"

"No!" snapped Twilight, convinced as usual she was the only one who knew what she was doing when it came to organizing. "I'll do it. Just go away, please."

"I'm trying to apologize..."

"Look, mister whatever-your-name-is—"

"Rune."

"Rune—I have a whole lot to do right now, and I would really appreciate it if you'd just let me do my work..." Twilight glanced at him pointedly over her shoulder, "..._alone_."

Rune's ears dropped. "All right, have it your way."

Sighing, wanting to apologize but pushing the thought away because her pride was up, Twilight lifted the books and the shelf at the same time, eyes closed, beginning to put certain ones back on said empty shelf.

Rune watched with admiration for her skill, tiptoeing closer to squint at the books above.

"Ah..." he cleared his throat.

Twilight's right eye opened. One of the books fell from her glittering grip and hit her on the head, but she managed to keep the others up.

She let out a growl in the back of her throat, frustration making her tense. "_Yes_?"

"_The Art Of Levitation_ goes on the end, I think. Not in the middle."

"I knew that," blustered Twilight Sparkle. She moved it.

For a few more second there was quiet as the stallion watched her sift through the books, placing them where they ought to be.

"You're dropping some," mumbled Rune, pawing the carpet with a hoof.

"I know."

"I'll get them."

"I can do it."

"It's no trouble, really."

"You don't touch them. I've got it."

"It was my mess to begin with. I think I should be the one to..."

Twilight dropped all the books, concentration yet again broken. "Ughhh!" She glared at Rune. "Listen, I dont know where you came from or why you're here bothering me-but it's not making things easier. If you want to help, go somewhere else, okay?"

"I can't. I'm meant to meet someone here."

"There's nobody else but us," Twilight pointed out, gesturing around the library with a hoof. "So clearly they're not here."

"I don't understand; my spell took me here. This is the right spot." Rune took a step forward cautiously. "Just let me..."

"That's very kind of you," Twilight said through her teeth, "but I'm used to working on my own. In peace and quiet. So..."

The door opened and Princess Celestia walked in, her younger sister Luna by her side.

Twilight dropped into a bow, Rune doing the same beside her. "Princess Celestia-Princess Luna!"

"Rise, my faithful student," chuckled Celestia warmly. "We've come with some important news. I have a job for you!"

Luna's large eyes blinked slowly. "I see you have already encountered Rune," she addressed the Alicorn.

Twilight glanced in surprise at the colt. "You know him?"

"Yes," Celestia replied. "Though my sister knows him far better than I." She dipped her head. "The same way I have mentored you, Luna mentors Rune."

"In what?"

"Magic," Rune explained.

"You see, Rune was born with an ancient kind of magic within himself," Princess Celestia began. "When his parents discovered this talent was causing trouble just two months ago, they brought him to the Castle and I had him train with my dear sister in hopes of controlling it." She bent her head toward the younger ponies. "And while Luna has taught him much already, she lacks the experience he needs in a tutor."

Twilight glanced at Luna nervously, but Luna didn't seem to mind.

"She and I agree Rune needs a second teacher, someone with a different set of skills to offer." Celestia lifted her chin and smiled. "Someone like you, Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight and Rune both gasped, eyes wide.

"Me?" Twilight gulped.

"You're the Princess Twilight Sparkle?" Rune gaped at her, then quickly bowed.

Twilight stared at him. "Well...yeah." She unfolded her wings for him to see. They had half been covered by her mane.

Only then did she realize her crown was missing. It had fallen off after being buried underneath those books.

She turned worriedly to the Princesses. "But...what if I'm not ready?"

"You are," encouraged Celestia. "When you first became an Alicorn, do you remember what I told you?"

"That I'd come a long way?"

"Well, yes..."

"That I was fulfilling my destiny?"

"Yes..."

"That I was officially a Princess?"

"Twilight-"

"You were singing, I remember the singing," Twilight began frantically combing her memory for the right answer.

Princess Celestia laughed. Luna nearly smiled.

"I told you we were all your students now too," Celestia explained. Then she winked fondly at her former apprentice. "Rune is just making it official. Isn't that right, my dear?" She nodded to the stallion.

Rune dipped his own head tentatively. "Yes, Your Majesty," he said quickly.

Twilight snorted; she could practically feel smoke coming out of her own ears. Princess Celestia called her 'my dear'. Not this clumsy, blustering nave.

Luna sternly watched Twilight. "Will you accept this task?" she demanded. "Teach him the way to control his powers?"

All eyes were on Twilight. The Alicorn fumed inwardly. _I don't want to mentor_ him_!_ she thought. _Why couldn't I be assigned Rarity, or Sweetie Bell? Oh, I'd even take Trixie over this!_

But the Princesses were counting on her. She couldn't let them down.

Finally she sighed and faced them. "I accept."

"Excellent!" Celestia nodded to Luna triumphantly. "We'll leave you to your first lesson, then. I knew you'd be up for the challenge, Twilight!"

Twilight forced a smile. "Oh, I'm up for it," she said quickly. "I can't wait to get started!"

The door closer behind the Princesses and Twilight immediately hung her head.

"I have no idea how to get started!" She turned to Rune, eyelids lowered. "I suppose you already know how to levitate."

For answer the stallion lifted the remaining books and put them in the correct places.

"And transportation?"

He squeezed his eyes shut, crouched, and disappeared in a flash of light. Nearby one of the desks collapsed.

She heard the sound of a return flash but didn't see him, glancing around.

"Up here," came the weak voice.

He was on top of a shelf, legs shaking.

"Are you all right?" gasped Twilight.

"I'm not quite good with heights, actually..."

"Okay, don't panic, don't panic," Twilight gulped. A fall like that could break a leg. "Hold still!"

She focused all her energy on him and soon used her magic to lift him up and gently put him-upside-down, unfortunately-back on the ground in front of her.

"I told you," Rune explained, sitting rightside-up sheepishly, "tough landings. I never know where I'll end up."

"Well...we can fix that," Twilight decided hesitantly, feeling a little sorry for him; he was still trembling. "Lesson One: Transport Spells!"

She brought a book on it to him, and they both leaned over it eagerly, Rune drinking in every word.

"You have to concentrate when you flash, and pinpoint where you want to go exactly. Picture it in your mind."

"Right."

"Got it?"

"I think so."

"Good-now try it."

He winked into disappearance and turned up hanging from the bannister of the 2nd floor's balcony.

"Uhh...Princess!"

Twilight got him down, rolling her eyes. "Where were you trying to get to that time?"

"Just...up by the Hoof Care section."

"You didn't focus-you have to focus! You'll get it. Try again."

"Right. Sorry, Princess."

He closed his eyes and tried again.

He ended up with his head stuck between two books in the Fiction area.

"Ugh..."

"Again!"

Under a table.

"Try again!"

On top of the table.

"Oi!"

"Again!"

Inside the writing cabinet.

On his back up against a shelf.

Slamming into a wall nose-first.

The flash upsetting objects.

The concentration making him sweat.

The Princess wincing.

The constant movement dizzying.

The humiliation nostril-flare worthy.

Banging into a globe.

Knocking over a quill jar.

Tail over head.

Scuffing up the rug.

Smashing down on a book pile.

Legs kicking up against a chair.

Upsetting a cushion stack.

Spilling ink all over his face.

"Okay, stop!"

Rune shook his head wildly to dislodge the ink sticking to his mane.

Twilight had a hoof to her forehead in exasperation. "_This_ is ancient magic?"

Rune blinked, ears drooping. "I'm trying my best, Your Majesty."

"Yeah, well, we're gonna hafta try even harder if we want to please Princess Celestia."

"And Princess Luna," added Rune.

Twilight used her glittering violet magic to flip through the pages of the book. "There's gotta be a reason you can't land properly. Maybe your balance is off." She glanced up. "You did end up on your face most of the time."

Rune winced, embarrassed. "I can do better, Princess."

Twilight tossed the book aside. "We'll come back to transportation. How about conjures? Can you do conjures?"

"What are those?"

"Guess not." Twilight grumped. Then she counted to ten and stood. "Conjures are pictures and images you can create in the air with your mind. Maybe of memories or past dreams; things like that. Watch."

She created a conjure of one of her happiest memories: the peaceful train ride home to Ponyville after saving the Crystal Empire from the evil King Sombra. She and her friends laughing together, recounting their favorite part of the adventure, so happy in each other's company.

Rune watched in awe, then stomped his hooves in applause when she was done.

"There," Twilight panted. "See?"

He nodded. "That was brilliant. Who were those ponies? I-If you don't mind my asking, I mean, Your Highness."

"Oh," Twilight blustered, not expecting the question, "Th-those are just some of my friends."

"You were close?"

"_Are_ close," Twilight corrected stubbornly. "And yes—we are. They're great friends. The very best."

Rune watched her, looking wistful.

Twilight blinked a few times, pushing her homesickness away, and cleared her throat. "Okay, here's how it works: you think of something that gave you a nice, strong feeling. Then imagine what you want to display, fuel it with that memory, shake it up, and let it loose like a bottle of rainbow juice into the air! Got it?"

Rune nodded vigorously. Then he paused.

Twilight waited, but when he did nothing she asked, "What's the matter?"

Rune ducked his head. "I can't think of anything."

"You've got to have memories of something, right?"

"No-I mean I can't think of anything..." Rune's ears twitched and he chewed his lower lip, tail flicking, "...worth looking at. Not like yours."

"It doesn't have to be spectacular," Twilight assured him. "Just do your best."

Rune looked away uncomfortably. "Er..."

"Maybe something with friends of your own?" Twilight suggested. "Something creative. Something you hope to do when you see them again?"

Rune stared at her with large, sad eyes. "I-I can't."

"Why not?"

Rune shut his eyes and his horn began glowing gold.

In seconds he had created a most magnificently-clear conjure in the air, surrounded by a frame of foaming, sun-colored magic.

It was of the hills outside Equestria's border, this much Twilight recognized. There was a little town, ponies trotting happily about, a small castle, a red stallion prince with a neat blonde mane and tail with a sword for a Cutie Mark, beside him standing a brown-maned, purple Alicorn mare with a crown for a Cutie Mark, both making small talk with what appeared to be Rune himself.

Suddenly the ground began shaking in the image. Whole houses fell into sinkholes of earth; the castle began to crumble. When the smoke cleared, Rune stood alone with the prince and the purple mare, a protective golden bubble around the three of them. It hadn't been big enough to save everything else.

Twilight stared in horror.

Rune let the image fade, head stinging with the effort of such a well-defined conjure. He faced the Princess. "That's why. They're all gone."

Twilight's ears flattened. "But...how? I don't understand-what was that? An earthquake?"

"There was magic in it," Rune said. "I could feel it! That was my hometown. Prince Gleaming Blade and Princess Lacie were my only friends. You saw them, didn't you?"

"You saved them, at least," Twilight said helpfully.

Rune hung his head. "But my parents and the villagers-they've all disappeared. I was visiting from my room here in Canterlot-it was the Prince's birthday-and the ground just...well, you saw. When I told Princess Luna, she tried teaching me better protection spells, better building incantations to fix the damage, but nothing worked. That's why you're teaching me. So that if something like that ever happens again, I can use my brand of magic to prevent harm."

Twilight stretched out one wing and rested it carefully on her new apprentice's shoulder. "I'm so sorry," she mumbled.

It was odd, having a student her age, she reflected. But looking at the poor guy, miserable and finally able to get all his stress out (no wonder he'd been distracted), she decided Princess Celestia had been right. She was up for the challenge. He needed guidance-for something important to him-and she was willing to help.

Rune glanced up at her sorrowfully, a twinkle of surprise on his face when she comforted him.

Suddenly the doors to the library burst open. A guard with a gold helmet and a white coat rushed in.

"Princess Twilight!" He puffed. "The Princesses Luna and Celestia request your presence in the Throne Room!"

Twilight glanced at Rune, wishing she had a few more minutes to make sure her pupil was okay. "But..."

"It's urgent, Your Highness!"

Worried now, Twilight stood and clip-clipped to the door. "All right." She turned to Rune. "You stay here and-"

"Pardon me, Your Majesty-but the Princesses request the company of both of you."

Twilight blushed. How was she to know what orders she gave would match up with the plans of the higher-ranking Alicorns? "R-right...follow me, then, I guess."

Rune and Twilight hurried through the corridors to the Throne Room, both equally anxious.

"I wonder what's happened?" Rune panted as they galloped.

"Only one way to find out. Come on!"

They flung their worry-wort selves into the Theone Room, gasping for breath. Celestia, mane flowing, paced down the long carpet, Luna watching with a disturbed expression.

"Ah, Princess Twilight, Rune," Celestia rushed to meet them. "I'm afraid your lessons were interrupted by some grave news. I've already informed Princess Cadence and Shining Armor in the Crystal Empire." She swung her regal head around to look Twilight in the eyes. "We've received a threat against Equestria."

"What, all of it?" Rune asked, startled.

Twilight gave him a perfect behave yourself mentor look. She could get used to this; it already felt right. Perhaps she was destined to teach. Now if only she could dance...

"We were given a visionof sorts from our enemy," Luna told them.

"There was a rumble in the Gardens, below the balcony," explained Celestia. "A magic sphere appeared in the sky, showing us the Elements of Harmony. Sister?"

Luna recreated the conjure she and her older sibling had seen. There were the signs of each Element of Harmony: Laughter, Kindness, Honesty, Loyalty, Generosity, and Magic. Suddenly a dark sillhouette of a creature that was pony-like (but otherwise unfamiliar) appeared. A shadowy hoof stamped out each Element and they heard a throaty growl of a cackle.

Then it was gone.

Twilight's eyes were huge. "What does it mean? The Elements-"

"They are the heart and soul of our land," Celestia cut her off. "A symbol of hope and peace. That was a warning-a terrible promise. By taking from us the Elements of Harmony in the way we were just shown, we have to believe the perpetrator has declared war against Equestria."

Twilight gasped. "A war?"

"This doesn't make any sense; who sent this?" demanded Rune.

"I recognized the sillhouette," admitted Celestia. "It is an evil that was defeated long, long ago."

"What evil?"

Celestia used her horn to demonastrate, showing them a sort of movie reflected in one of the stained-glass windows.

"Just after each different kind of Pony decided to live in happiness together-Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth Ponies-I and my sister Luna were concerned that their pride and selfishness would return in a relapse, and that this would tear them apart into their seperate groups once again. So we sought to find something to keep the peace. We traveled from land to land, hoping to find something, preferably magical, to maintain the ponies' gracious spirits, to daily remind them of their friendships within each group."

Twilight and Rune watched as an image of Luna and Celestia entering an underground cave exploded in brilliant light onto the glass.

"I had heard," Luna chimed in, "that a powerful enchantress resided underground, and therefore my sister and I journeyed beneath the earth where it was said she could be found, seeking a mystical relic."

A picture of a strange animal flashed up. Two crooked horns, long legs, jagged blue mane, silver scales, sharp fangs, and a boar's tail.

"Her name was Cretana," Celestia continued. "She was an Abada, a creature as old as time itself, legend by nature. Born of a unicorn and a zebra in a pile of a Dragon's magical gold, Abadas are a strong, endangered, and terrifying race. Luckily Cretana seemed hospitable enough. She agreed not only that the Ponies could use a reminder, but that it had to be of magical qualities as well. She even offered to make such a thing, with our help."

"She made the Elements of Harmony?" Twilight's jaw dropped.

Luna nodded. "Indeed, Twilight Sparkle. She asked of me a tear from the moon's hidden side, and a candle made from Celestia's sunlight. Once we had gathered these ingredients, she created with an ancient magic-very similar to the colt Rune's-the six Elements."

"We wanted to use them right away," Celestia said. "But we soon discovered that Cretana hadn't realized how powerful her creations would be. Her greed was revealed, and she demanded to keep them to use as a ruler of Equestria and even the lands beyond. Luna and I tried desperately to reason with her, reminding her that she had promised us they would be used for the good of everypony, but she refused to listen."

"In the end," Luna finished, and an image of the two sisters touching horns with a gleaming white light, wearing the Elements, "I and my sister Celestia were forced to take hold of the Elements of Harmony and use them to vanquish the wicked sorceress."

"Or so we thought," Celestia sighed. The image faded. "Now she has returned, it seems, with revenge in her heart. A warning like that could only mean war..." She trailed off, uncharacteristically lost for words.

Luna pressed against her sister comfortingly, then turned to the younger Princess. "There is something else, Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight lifted her chin, forcing her legs to stop shaking. "...Yes?"

"Your friends, they represent the Elements, do they not?"

Twilight got a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. "That's right! Do you...do you think it meant they were in danger too?"

"We must send word to Ponyville," Celestia decided. "Until we can find out where Cretana is hiding, the safest place for your friends is right here in Canterlot."

Twilight tried to stifle the bittersweet feelings she got from that one sentence. Her friends were coming! Finally! Equestria was at war-this was awful!

"You may leave us now, Twilight Sparkle," Lunacdipped her head to Twilight as Celestia began writing the letter to Ponyville. "Go and prepare quarters for your companions."

Twilight left, Rune on her heels.

"Do you know what this means?" Rune sprang up and blocked her path. "A rumbling in the Gardens? Princess, Cretana must have been the one to attack my home!"

Twilight lifted a hoof. "Well...maybe."

"We have to help them find her," Rune exclaimed. "She might know where my parents are-my village, my people!"

Twilight looked away uncomfortably. "Look, I-I'm very sorry you lost your home, but the decisions are being made by Princess Luna and Celestia now. If they need our assistance, they'll ask for it."

Rune gave her a pleading look. "But you're a Princess too," he pointed out. "Perhaps you could put a word in for me?"

Twilight began walking again, the stormy blue stallion at her side. "We'll see. I can't promise anything."

Her words were numb. Her mind was spinning. Equestria-all of Equestria-at war. How was she going to learn to be a proper Princess when her friends were in danger and the world was practically on its head?


End file.
